1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a homeostatic system which can be used to support, lift, and manipulate loads and more particularly to a support system which is simple in construction and which can be left unattended for long periods of time without any adverse effect on its ability to protect against unexpected, infrequent shocks.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need for support systems intended to manipulate objects of various sizes and weights, while protecting them from the effects of shock, is widespread. Some such structures, such as those for supporting piers, off-shore oil drilling platforms, elevated water tanks, and the like, are designed to be essentially rigid, i.e., the structure does not yield appreciably on the application of an external force. Because of the rigid nature of the structure, when an external force is applied, there is created within the structure a variety of tensile, compressive and bending forces as a result of which at least some of the structural members must be overdesigned. Thus, for example, a member which has adequate strength in resisting purely compressive forces may have little tensile strength. If such a structure is subjected to a bending force, however, there are created within the member tensile forces which might damage or destroy it unless it is made much larger than necessary for supporting the purely compressive forces which it is intended to withstand.
Certain support structures are also subjected to forces which are applied at a more or less regular frequency, tending to create an oscillation within the support structure. If the oscillation of the structure coincides with the frequency of the applied force, the oscillation may be reinforced, thus leading to damage of the structure. Typical examples of such structures include machinery operating in a cyclic fashion, such as compressors or pile drivers, and structures resting on the sea bottom, such as piers which are subject to more or less regular wave action. In order to avoid damage to such structures, it is desirable to be able to tune the structure to a natural frequency of oscillation which differs substantially from that of the force applied. In addition, it is also desirable to provide means within the structure for absorbing and dissipating the externally applied energy, thereby inhibiting the development of such undesirable oscillations.